


laughter is the best medicine

by we_are_inevitable



Series: homegrown // small town au [2]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Farm Boy Jack Kelly, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Horses, Jewish David Jacobs, Latino Jack Kelly, M/M, Mild Blood, Minor Injuries, Small Towns, horse related injury, ok they arent together in this but the Yearning is There, suggestive jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 01:00:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30081036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/we_are_inevitable/pseuds/we_are_inevitable
Summary: He'd asked during lunch, when they were both sitting in the Sonic parking lot. David had been working on his grilled chicken sandwich, and Jack was steadily making his way through his mozzarella sticks when David asked, "Is it hard to learn how to ride a horse?"
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly
Series: homegrown // small town au [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2206062
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	laughter is the best medicine

**Author's Note:**

> I HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH THIS AHHHHHHHHHH

"Jack, I don’t know about this…"

There's a soft laugh, but it quiets down after a moment, once Jack sees the fearful look on David’s face. Jack almost feels bad; David doesn't exactly look enthused to be standing in the barn, and is even more hesitant now that he's right in front of Dolly's pen, but David had been the one who asked in the first place.

He'd asked during lunch, when they were both sitting in the Sonic parking lot. David had been working on his grilled chicken sandwich, and Jack was steadily making his way through his mozzarella sticks when David asked, _"Is it hard to learn how to ride a horse?"_

One ten minute conversation and two sweet teas later, Jack and David were here. At the barn, in front of Dolly's pen, getting ready for a nice little stroll.

But David wasn't looking any happier about it.

Jack frowns softly, and places a hand on the gate. "If you ain't sure, ya don't gotta do it," Jack says softly, reassuringly, and looks up into David’s eyes. It's almost funny, seeing someone taller than him get so bent out of shape at the prospect of riding a horse, but, then again… Jack’s been riding since he was about seven years old. He's good enough to get paid. He's probably going to try to work his way up to the _professional_ circuit during summers when he's at college.

And David is from the city, and has never even ridden a _pony,_ let alone a full-grown Quarter Horse. 

There's nothing funny about his fear.

It takes David a few moments to respond, but he eventually takes a deep, shuddering breath. He looks at Jack, meeting his gaze- which may or may not send a shiver shooting down Jack’s spine- before saying, "As long as you promise she isn't going to hurt me."

"Who, Dolly?" Jack raises a brow, and laughs softly. "Davey, I give _kids_ riding lessons with Dolly. She ain't gonna hurt a fly. Ain't that right, baby?" He asks as he reaches over the gate, stroking the horse's back. He looks back at David with a wide grin, then opens the gate and enters the pen.

"You call your horse 'baby'?"

"You call your _car_ 'baby'," Jack retorts, sending David a look over his shoulder as he unhooks the saddle from its spot on the wall. "At least I'm calling a _living thing_ by a cute name, Dave."

"Don't disrespect my car like that," David shoots back with a smile, and crosses his arms over his chest.

Jack glances at him, and grins wildly. "Fine. I won't disrespect your car if you stop disrespectin' my horse. Deal?"

"Deal," David agrees, laughing quietly, and, oh, that's a nice sound. David has a nice laugh, and Jack wouldn't mind hearing it more often.

Over the next twelve minutes, they make quiet conversation- mainly with Jack talking about what he’s doing as he puts Dolly's saddle on, or answering David’s questions about riding and horses in general. It's a long process, but not a very difficult one for Jack after years of muscle memory driving his movements.

Eventually, the saddle is secure, and Jack is guiding Dolly out of the barn. David follows close behind Jack, making sure to stay away from Dolly; he's a little skittish, Jack can tell, but Dolly has been around David quite a few times in the last two months or so, so Jack knows she likely won't have a bad reaction to him.

_Likely._

Jack walks them both over to a log fence. He carefully maneuvers Dolly into a parallel position with the fence, stroking her neck and clicking his tongue as he does so, before he looks up at David and grins. "You ready?"

David rubs his arm, and shoots Jack a sheepish smile. "Ready as I'll ever be," He admits, eyeing Dolly carefully. 

She's a good, sturdy horse; ten years old, so she has a lot of experience under her belt, yet she's still pretty young, too. She's been with Jack through… well, everything. She was born just a week or so before Jack’s eighth birthday, and they've been a team ever since. He remembers starting to train her around the age of two, with help from Miss Medda- or, well, now that he's in high school, her name is 'Principal Larkin'. She taught Jack everything he's ever needed to know about horseback riding, and even helped him train Dolly for the barrels.

Now, ten years later, Jack is using those same methods to teach Davey how to mount.

"Okay, so, watch me," Jack says with a grin, and gives Dolly a slow stroke down her back. "You're gonna wanna start on the left side of the horse, facin' the rear end. Make sure you can see all four feet, m'kay? Make sure they're square. It helps her balance with your weight," Jack backs up, lining himself with Dolly's shoulder. "Good?"

"Left side, face the back, square feet, balance," David repeats, leaning against the fence post to get a better view.

"Good job," Jack says with a grin. "Okay. You're gonna grab the stirrup and turn it toward yourself," He says easily, reaching out to take the stirrup, making eye contact with David as he does so. His left hand is still holding the reins. "Then, you're gonna bring your foot up into the stirrup. This part is gonna look stupid, so… bear with me."

"Don't you always look stupid, though?"

"Fuck you," Jack grins, then takes in a deep breath. He gestures for David to watch, then sticks his left foot all the way into the stirrup. "Now, stupid part. You're gonna need to bounce yourself back from the front to the middle of the horse, okay? Like this," Jack carefully moves around on his right foot, left foot still in the stirrup, and his right arm reaches to the right side of Dolly's saddle. "You're gonna grab the handle thing on the far side, called the off side. Make sure to put your right arm on the seat of the saddle." 

Jack glances back at David, who is watching intently, and pushes off with his right foot. He leans over Dolly diagonally. "When you push off, don't stand straight, okay? Make sure you're a little slanted. Keep your weight centered, else you'll fall flat on your ass."

"Lovely description there, Jackie."

"I know from experience," Jack says with a smirk. He then carefully brings his right leg up and over Dolly, keeping himself steady over her back. "Be real careful not to touch her rear end, okay? It could spook her, but she's normally alright- just be careful," He nods. "Now, you're gonna put your right foot in the stirrup on the right side, and ease back onto the seat, okay?" He smiles as he does so, fully sitting back on Dolly. "Then, uh, just… shimmy your hips-"

David barks a laugh. "Shimmy my hips?"

"To make sure the saddle is centered, _dipshit,"_ Jack glances back at David with an embarrassed flush, but he smiles wide, feeling his cheeks heat up. "You don't wanna ride all lopsided. You could get hurt."

_"You_ say _that,_ yet _I'm_ the gay one," David deadpans, staring straight into Jack’s eyes.

Jack sputters for a moment, then shuts his eyes tightly. "I-- Get your mind outta the gutter, Dave, good _Lord._ You're a terrible person."

_"You're_ the one-"

"-Tryin' to make sure you don't get hurt today!" Jack says with an incredulous laugh, shaking his head. "I don't think you wanna get bucked off, do ya?"

"I'd rather not," David grins, and Jack shakes his head as he dismounts. "You're not gonna teach me how to get off of the horse?"

"I'll show ya while you're up," Jack grins, and walks back behind Dolly, gesturing for David to go forward. "Get in position."

David's cool demeanor slowly fades, and any sign of joking melts away. He nods, serious, and walks to stand next to Dolly. She takes a step, which startles David just slightly; he's quick to take in a breath, though, turning to face Jack. "Okay, so… so grab this," He says slowly, reaching for the stirrup. Once he turns it to face himself, he gulps. "Put my foot in here," He murmurs, mostly to himself. 

Jack watches, just to make sure that Davey is doing everything he needs to. He covers his mouth to hide his smile when he sees Davey bounce on his one foot, but gulps. "Remember, reach over and grab, and--"

"Lean against her, center my weight," David finishes, then takes in a deep breath and pulls himself up. He stares there for a moment, leaning over the saddle, before he carefully swings his other leg up and over.

Everything David's doing is great, until his foot brushes up against Dolly's side while he tries to find the stirrup- a common mistake, really. Jack doesn't fault him when Dolly jostles and kicks her rear legs back. Not _too_ hard, but enough to make David lurch forward and grab the reins with a shaky, high pitched gasp. 

Enough to send Jack to the ground with a loud yelp as her hoof comes into contact with his thigh. 

The sound seems to startle Dolly, because she rears up and makes a distressed noise, and poor David gives a low, subdued sound of surprise. "Uh- Jack? Jack, how do--"

"Give- Give me a sec," Jack squeaks out as he winces, looking down at his thigh. And- yeah, okay, maybe her kick was a little harder than it felt, because there's a new rip in his jeans and Jack can see- _ohhh,_ he can see blood, and Jack and blood don't mix well. There's a reason that he stands off to the side whenever Crutchie comes out to the farm to check on Dolly before rodeos, and there's a reason Jack doesn't watch Crutchie and his mom do surgeries during the spring, and there's a reason--

"Jack! Woah, woah, Dolly, don't--" David cuts himself off as Dolly starts moving again, and Jack watches in shock as she turns around. She's usually pretty good about this stuff, and David did everything right… Jack doesn't have time to think about that right now.

He pushes himself off of the ground with a strangled exhalation, and runs- as fast as he can, in his condition- to their side. He takes the reins from Davey's hands and begins making soft shushing noises, as well as tongue clicks, as Dolly stamps her feet in place for a few moments. She's still making those whines, so Jack knows that she's probably just spooked. Usually, she has a better handle of things, but usually... Jack's the one riding her. This is new territory for everyone.

"Shh, shh… Hey, Doll, it's alright, it's just Davey," He whispers, and maybe it’s futile, talking to a horse, but Dolly gives an indignant huff and swims to calm more and more as Jack continues speaking. He guides her in a slow circle as he does so, before leading her back into the barn slowly.

Once inside, Jack is quick to guide David through the dismounting process, and he doesn't even give a second look when David stumbles as he gets off. Jack then hastily takes the saddle off, which takes more time than he wants it to, and closes the pens gate once he hangs up the saddle and is out.

He looks at David and gives a breathless little laugh, raising a brow. "Maybe we can try again tomorrow? It just takes some getting used to."

David doesn’t crack a smile, or laugh. Instead, his eyes are glued to Jack's thigh. "You… Are you okay?"

"Nah, I'm fine!" Jack responds cheerfully, though he makes the mistake of looking down. Blood has soaked through his ripped jeans, and just the sight of it has Jack feeling lightheaded. "I'm- nope, I'm going down," He mutters as he stumbles back against the side of the pen, scrambling to grab hold of something to keep himself upright, but it’s no use. He hits the ground with a groan, his back against the wall of the pen. "I- I'm fine, really, just--"

"Do I need to call someone? 911?" David asks quickly as he kneels down next to Jack, who is now staring at the ceiling. "It- I mean, it doesn't look-"

"No, I- It doesn't... It hurts, but it ain't-" Jack pauses and sucks in a breath as he shifts. "The… blood. Blood. Can't do blood. Not good with blood," He explains, taking a few deep breaths. "Gonna have to… Fuck, these are my favorite _jeans,"_ Jack whines, rubbing his face with his hand.

David gives a breathless little laugh, before shaking his head. "Jackie, I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have--"

"I was the one who stood behind her, Dave," Jack says quickly, looking up at David with a serious expression. "It was your first time ridin', and I've been doin' this for years. I shoulda known better. This is on _me,_ not you."

"Still, I… I'm sorry," David says softly, looking into Jack’s eyes, and it suddenly hits Jack just how close they are. David is kneeling over him, David has a hand on his shoulder, David looks so concerned…

_No. No, no, Jack can't think about this right now. Now is not the time for self evaluation._

"...If you're that sorry, help me to my truck," Jack says with a weak smirk, and holds out his hand.

David takes it, and Jack tries to ignore the spark that shoots up his spine. "Are you good to drive?" He asks as he pulls Jack up, pulling Jack's arm over his shoulders and wrapping the other securely around his waist. The contact makes Jack feel even weaker in the knees than before.

Jack shakes his head, and laughs. "Looks like you're about to learn how to drive a stickshift, Davey."

"Fuck," David groans, and looks at Jack- but he's smiling, and it makes Jack feel much less embarrassed about the way he's currently hobbling out of the barn, while David looks so... perfect. Perfect, and pretty, and if Jack wasn't in an immense amount of pain right now, he surely would have leaned up and kissed him. If Jack didn't know any better... well, he would have thought that David was looking at him the same way. David clears his throat, though, and his smile gets even wider as he looks down to the ground. "You're such a dumbass. Shouldn't have stood behind the horse."

Jack flashes a grin, and nudges David’s side with his free fist. "Aww, Davey, don't be mean to me right now. I'm _injured."_

"I could always just drop you-"

_"No!"_

David laughs, and Jack laughs, too. It's a nice distraction from the pain shooting up his leg. They laugh in the truck, when David had no idea what he’s doing, even while going 60 miles per hour down the highway. They laugh in the waiting area at the emergency room, when Jack complains again about the fact that he's ruined his sixty dollar jeans. They laugh when the doctor is stitching the cut on Jack’s leg, they laugh when they FaceTime Katherine while waiting for discharge papers, they laugh when Jack is trying to figure out how to use crutches- a precaution until it doesn't hurt to put weight on his leg.

They laugh when David stays all through that hot summer night to take care of Jack while Jack’s father is out of town.

When they wake in the morning in each other's arms, they'll laugh, red-faced, and embarrassed, and completely infatuated with each other, and everything will feel alright.

Even if they part their separate ways without speaking of it.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed this !!! this is so !! ahhh i love this au so much PLEASE come talk to me about it!! i'm @we-are-inevitable on tumblr !!


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